Captain's Chair: Be Prepared
As we head into a predicted active storm season, please remember to have a hurricane preparedness plan for both home and business. Remember that conditions can change suddenly so we need to pay attention to storm watches and warnings and be especially mindful of the bridge closure timeline if/when the U.S. Coast Guard announces port condition “Whiskey” and “Yankee” status.
COVID-19 cases continue to fluctuate, and as a community we must begin to enact both short- and long-term solutions to getting people back to work, keeping the economy going, and moving away from the “cancel culture” that is taking hold. You may have seen the recent article in Miami Today News that maritime jobs are in high demand right now. With the popularity of boating soaring, we know many companies are looking for both land- and sea-based workers, giving the marine industry an opportunity to show leadership in the area of safely keeping employees working and businesses open. For now, the cost of doing business includes wearing face masks, hand-washing and personal hygiene, and physical distancing.
At FLIBS this year, you can expect to see multiple entrances and exits to limit lines and crowd build-up, sanitation stations to encourage hand-washing, wider main docks, directional markers for pedestrians, strategic bus and water taxi transportation routes with extra drop off and pick up sites, and hygiene hosts to assist in the comfort and safety of attendees. Informa will be implementing more new protocols that have been developed with the architectural and design firm, EDSA, which also works with companies like Disney to create safe and beautifully designed spaces. If you haven’t seen it already, watch our FLIBS Public Safety Announcement here for more details, including Informa’s AllSecure health and safety guidelines.
We know FLIBS will be the reset for our industry and an important economic driver for the region and the State. We are working with all our community partners to ensure we host a safe and productive event for guests and exhibitors and look forward to sharing more details as they become available.
Thank you for your continued support and advocacy for the marine industry! Remember, it’s not too much to mask.